Page 57 of Body Tox

The feeling of his hands and disgusting body on my own invaded my mind. Nausea bubbled up my throat, threatening to paint these ugly floors. His favorite toy was broken, and the next best thing was the boy who loved her.

I had taken every taboo touch, every sloppy kiss, every painful invasion, and every punishment I accepted in silence. It kept the others safe from his abuse and was my branding of shame.

It was my punishment for not saving Evangeline when I had the chance.

For years and years, it continued. My body aged, and he thought of more creative ways to torment and use me. That asshole clearly ran away from his sins, burying them in mold and decay after I was kicked out by the system.

Surprisingly, Beatrice managed to keep the place from concaving in on itself.

Surviving the wilderness had been easier than surviving these halls.

I walked to the back of the room, raising my bound hands, and punched the dusty, broken hinges open. It allowed the window at the top of the stone to be free, leading to the outside.

Jumping up and sliding out of the decrepit shit-hole basement, I dusted myself off as best I could, trying to get rid of the memories with the action as well. I clutched that damn bunny to my chest.

A few feet away stood the big tree. Despite the torment of time, it still stood. The cherry blossom tree was covered in snow, a picturesque moment captured with the Alaskan day’s deep frost.

I had laid under the warped branches for many hours, staring at how they danced in the wind, catching the fallen blossoms and pretending they could take away the pain and shame I had felt.

Under the tree was the single gray headstone, engraved but barely legible now under the moss, dirt, and debris.

It read: ‘Evangeline lost but never forgotten.’

That was a lie.

It took one look at this place to see it was long forgotten, and every single smiling kid had no chance to be the prized puppy when no one knew this place existed as anything but the ghosts it housed.

“Hey there, Angie,” I said, leaning down and laying Mr.Snuffleupagus onto his final resting place with his owner.

“Maybe now you can sleep in peace.”

Flaying my flesh from the bones indeed.

I started to get up, and a scream sounded from inside the house—a chorus of more kids shrieking followed.

Oh fuck!

I fell onto my ass. The awkwardness of trying to get up with my hands tied was a nuisance I wasn’t expecting.

The entire house was screaming before I finally got up and ran to the front door.

Sister Beatrice was crying and holding onto Echo like her frail bones depended on it.

“Oh, blessed lord! Thank you for blessing us. We needed it! Oh god, I thank you.”

Her words were barely legible through her blubbering. Her glasses were all fogged up, and she was a sobbing mess. My hoodie had fallen off my head in the chaos, and the tiny nun gasped and stopped her sobbing enough to yank my hoodie-covered head down to her level and eye me down.

“My word! Ghosts certainly haunt these halls after all,” she said, crossing her heart and backing away.

I shook her grip off me and backed away, trying to will my hoodie back over my damn head.

“Bless you, child. Thank you so much. I promise with the lord’s ear hearing my vow. I will do right for these children. I swear it.”

Echo was holding back tears, her dark heart touched by whatever had occurred between the two of them. The kids were dancing around and cheering, running around Echo and giving her hugs as they circled her.

I tilted my head, unsure what the fuck was going on. I gave Echo a questioning look, but she looked away from me, trying to return each grubby hand, hugging and high-fiving her.

“Thank you so much. You saved us.”

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